Curse of the Black Cat
by Chibimono Akuno
Summary: Draco Malfoy comes across an unusual creature in the halls late one night and takes it in as a pet... Harry Potter goes missing the next day... slash WILL NOT BE COMPLETED!
1. Part one

**title:** Curse of the Black Cat (1/?)  
**author:** Chibimono Akuno  
**email:**   
**category:** romance, angst, curses  
**spoilers:** SS/PS, CoS, PoA, GoF, OotP  
**pairing:** HP/DM  
**rating:** PG-13, so far.... mwahahahaha.....  
**disclaimers:** These characters are not mine. They belong to the wonderful goddess J.K. Rowling and all other companies that own them. I bow before you and beg for your forgiveness of using these characters. I only wish to entertain, not make money.  
  
**Curse of the Black Cat  
part one  
**by Chibimono Akuno  
  
Draco Malfoy wandered the corridors late one night in the middle of January. He was thinking about home, and the information his father told him about his up coming summer holiday. He was thinking of the soon approaching initiation and of the Dark Mark.  
  
Was it wrong that he did not want to become a Death Eater? He knew he had to do it because his father wanted him to, but would his father understand if he decided not to go through with it? Absolutely not! A Malfoy can not back out of what he is destined to do.  
  
So I'm destined to kill people? Draco though miserably. To kill for someone who is already half dead and these taken souls could never bring back?  
  
Only one person could bring back the Dark Lord... Harry Potter.  
  
Yes, Harry Potter... The bane of Draco's existence. If only he had not turned Draco away in their first year, they could have been very good friends. But no, Potter was foolish. And still is. Why, a boy cannot be right in the head if he goes seeking trouble like Potter does, can he? Of course not. Something is wrong with him. He could be like one of those people with addictions. Potter is addicted to the thrill. That must be his problem!  
  
Draco suddenly stopped in his tracks. He had done it again. He was thinking about Potter again. That was the whole reason for this trek through the hollowed halls of Hogwarts. He was trying to clear his head of the stupid git, not put more thoughts in there!  
  
Shaking his head, he continued on through the deserted hallways and took a winding flight of stairs down to another floor. He was not sure where he was, but he knew if he kept walking eventually he would come to some place familiar. The corridor he was walking along now had windows to his right and the full moon streamed in to light up everything in his path. He went to one of the windows, seeing that they looked out to the Forbidden Forest.  
  
There was a sound of movement to his left, and Draco sharply turned to it, hoping desperately it was not Mrs. Norris or Flitch. Green eyes flashed in the moonlight, and Draco cursed himself, thinking it was Potter. But he was wrong...  
  
Moving out of the shadows was... a big black dog? No! A cat! A big black cat! Draco froze. What the Hell was a black panther doing on school grounds?! Was this another of that stupid oaf Hargid's pets?!  
  
Slowly pressing himself against the wall by the window, he's only thought was to please let the panther go by. Much to his dismay, it slowly moved closer to him. He bit his lip to keep from whimpering. Oh please! Draco thought helplessly. Don't eat me!  
  
The panther quietly padded right up to him and began to sniff. A rough tongue lashed out and swiped at Draco's trembling, balled up hand. Draco was breathless as the creature began to nuzzle against the hand and the side of his leg. For some reason, he found it quite shocking that someone had tamed this large animal.  
  
Suddenly, the black cat sat back on it's hind quarters and looked at Draco expectantly. "What?" he found himself asking it. "You're not going to eat me?"  
  
When the cat lazily shook it's black head, Draco nearly fell over in surprise. "You can understand me?!"  
  
A slow nod.  
  
Draco had to sit down. Slowly, he slid down the wall he was leaning against until he was sitting on the floor. The panther remained looking at him.  
  
"So... er... Are you a pet?" There was a shake of the head again.  
  
"Do you live here?" Another nod.  
  
Timidly, he held his hand out, and the cat moved to nuzzle it, a purring coming from deep inside. At this, Draco smiled and relaxed immensely. It likes me! he thought happily. This is unbelievable!

****

Draco spent hours with the cat. It loved to be petted and have it tummy rubbed. He found it also liked licking his face, neck and hands, which tickled Draco into laughing.  
  
When a wave of sleepiness finally washed over Draco, he stood up and told the panther it was time for him to go. Beautiful emerald eyes stared up at him almost sadly. "I'll come back tomorrow night. I promise," he told the creature.  
  
He turned to leave and went back up the flight of stairs he had come down earlier. As he reached the top, he looked back to find the panther was following him. "I have to go to bed, love," Draco whispered to the night colored animal. It made a slight whimpering noise and went right up to him to butt it's face against his leg.  
  
Draco sighed. He supposed it was possible to sneak it into his room. No one see it. He could let it out at night to roam the castle and feed it by taking extra food at his own meals. The only problem would be how well it was house trained. He guessed he would just have to find out.

****

Draco undressed down to his knickers and then threw on a pair of silk pajamas. He quickly settled into bed, pulling the blankets up and spelling out the light. As soon as it was dark, a heavy weight jumped onto the other side of the bed.  
  
"Oh, you want to sleep with me?" Draco laughed as the panther moved close and flopped down beside the blonde boy. The large cat was purring and he gently nuzzled at Draco. With a yawn, he scratched behind the cat's ear and slipped off to sleep.  
  
It was then that he had a dream.  
  
Harry Potter in a glass bottle. "HELP!" How strange, Draco thought, and he moved closer to the bottle. "Draco! Please! You have to help me!" Draco looked at the glass, but there was no opening. It was as if it were a big glass bubble. His only thought was to smash the glass, but he was not big enough. Green eyes flashed in helpless terror. "Draco! Please! You can do this! Help me!" Why me? Draco thought to himself. I thought we were enemies?A warm, rough tongue lazily licked at Draco's cheek and neck. He was laughing by the time he was finally awake, being that he was ticklish. His new pet was still there. He smiled at the kitty and kissed his muzzle.   
  
Draco was out of bed in no time, and he quickly dressed for breakfast. He did not want to be late for classes this morning. Double Potions with his favorite professor. Before he could make it out the door, though, the panther was in front of it, staring at him sadly.  
  
"I have classes right now," he sighed. "I'll be back as soon as I can. I won't forget you, love." Then Draco paused. "Hmmm.... I have to give you an name. Or do you have one?" The cat shook it's head no. "Then let me think, love. You will have a name when I return!" And with that, the panther moved for Draco to dash out the dungeons.

****

Draco was in Potions when he remembered his dream about Potter. Remembrance was triggered by the fact the Golden Trio was reduced only to a pitifully sulking two. In fact, all of Gryffindor's students seemed quite miserable.  
  
How odd. No Potter. Maybe the dream was true, and Potter really needed help? If that were so, Draco was going to need more information than just "Help me!"By lunch, rumors were flying like mad all over the school. Potter had been kidnapped in the middle of the night, right out of his bed. Potter had sneaked out of school at night and ran off to Hogsmead to meet with some girl, not coming back. Potter sleepwalked into the lake and was eaten by the squid. Potter Floo himself out of Hogwarts to chase after the Dark Lord.  
  
"Preposterous!" Draco hissed to the students around him as he loaded his plate with meat and such. He took off without another word, carrying his plate with him, and headed straight to the dungeons.  
  
Waiting for him on his bed was the beautiful creature. "Here, lovely," he called in a near whisper as the cat climbed off the bed to brush against him with affection. Sitting on the soft carpet by the empty fire place, Draco placed the plate down. He ran his fingers through the thick fur, watching the creature eat.  
  
"I want to name you," he said softly as the animal finished it's food and licked it's chops clean. The panther looked up at him expectantly. "If I name you, then that means you belong to me. Is that okay?" Draco asked the animal, wanting to give it a choice and know it's opinion. It's a living creature that think for itself, he though. I do not want to scare it away.  
  
The panther only looked at him, it's green eyes flashing from the torch light in his chambers. This was a special animal. He barely knew anything about it. No, Draco decided. "I'll wait... I want to pick a name perfect for you. One that says who really you are."  
  
At that, the large black creature moved forward and licked at Draco's face.  
  
**_ to be continued _**


	2. Part two

**title:** Curse of the Black Cat (2/?)  
**author:** Chibimono Akuno  
**email:**   
**category:** romance, angst, curses  
**spoilers:** SS/PS, CoS, PoA, GoF, OotP  
**pairing:** HP/DM  
**rating:** PG-13, so far.... mwahahahaha.....  
**disclaimers:** These characters are not mine. They belong to the wonderful goddess J.K. Rowling and all other companies that own them. I bow before you and beg for your forgiveness of using these characters. I only wish to entertain, not make money.  
  
**Curse of the Black Cat  
part two  
**by Chibimono Akuno  
  
Why he was calling his archenemy and rival by the first name, Draco Malfoy would never know. But then, dreams were always a strange thing. Like the one where he was changed into a cake and was chased around the Quidditch pitch by Goyle while the Weasle laughed his face purple in the stands.  
  
And yet, he dreamed now of Harry Potter.  
  
"Harry?" his voice rang out against the walls as he paced up and down the empty corridor.  
  
A door formed on the wall and he did not hesitate to open it. Inside the small room, he found a small black kitten curled upon a red and gold cushion. Its green eyes flashed as it quickly took to it's tiny pawed feet. The creature darted to Draco, purring loudly as it rubbed its body against his legs.  
  
"There you are, Harry," he said, feeling his dreamself smile as he picked up the tiny cat under it's front legs. It purred, letting out a small mew in greeting as it became eye level with Draco.  
  
He gently kissed the kitten's little, wet nose. Suddenly, in his hands, the kitten began to change shape. It widened and became heavier and much more solid. When Draco pulled away, he found that he was no longer kissing a kitten.  
  
He was kissing Harry Potter.  
  
"You found me," whispered Potter against his lips as he leaned into kiss Draco again.  
  
Finding his arms around the Gryffindor's shoulders, Draco leaned back from the kiss. "Where have you been?"  
  
Potter held up a glass ball for Draco to see, just as Draco slipped into consciousness.

****

_These dreams are ridiculous_, Draco thought irritably as he pouted at breakfast a week later. Every time he closed his eyes, he dreamed of Potter. It was rather disgusting, really... Mostly for the fact that his body seemed so happy to respond to some of the more lewd acts that seemed to make themselves welcome in his sleeping mind.  
  
But then, it didn't help that Viridis liked to lap at his face and neck as a wake-up call in the morning. He honestly did not know whether he should punish or praise the creature for it's gentle nuzzling.   
  
Looking up with tired eyes from his plate, the Slytherin watched as the Gryffindors made their way towards their table. Once again, there was no Harry Potter in sight.  
  
_Of course not_, Draco thought grumpily. _The prat's in my dreams... He's got no time for you all..._  
  
He sneered at the red and gold students and went back to eating.A great black paw scratched at the door.  
  
"Did you want to go out, love?" Draco asked, looking up from his essay.  
  
As the beast nodded from where it sat in front of the door, Draco smiled. He opened his door and looked, making sure that there were no students out of bed. He lead the panther through the common room and out the door, into the hallway.  
  
"Be a good boy and don't eat any students, Viridis," Draco teased, tapping his pet's wet nose.  
  
The creature tried to nuzzle his finger before it was pulled away. Making a snuffling noise, Viridis leaned forward and nipped at Draco's robes, tugging them.  
  
"I can't go, darling," Draco whispered in the corridor, leaning down to nuzzle at the beast's damp muzzle. "I have to finish my essays before bed. Don't run around for too long. I'll be here waiting for you in two hours."  
  
Another snuffle, a few licks at Draco's chin, and the great black cat was prowling the halls in the dark of night.

****

"Draco," Pansy whined at lunch later on in the week. "You are never around the commons... You've been ignoring me... and Crabbe and Goyle just sit there with nothing to do because you don't tell them to do anything."  
  
"They know they can eat, don't they?" Draco snorted. "As long as they know to feed themselves, I'm sure they will do just fine. It's not like they know to do anything else."  
  
The girl nearly wailed. "Draco, what on earth is in your room that can compare to my company or charm?"  
  
Looking at the girl that was to be his wife at a future date... Draco cringed. He was sure she would just see his pet as a living fur coat.   
  
"Never you mind, woman..." he growled and stalked away towards his chambers. "Never you mind."

****

"You never come out and play, you know," Potter said to Draco in his dreams one night. The Gryffindor zoomed about on his Firebolt in Draco's room, dressed in his bright red Quidditch uniform.  
  
Over Draco's head. Through the bed hangings. In and out of Draco's closet.  
  
"Why would I play with you, Potter," Draco found himself sneering, wishing the other boy would still.  
  
Potter paused mid flight over the wardrobe and cocked his head to the side. "We always play, don't we?"  
  
"You're never around anymore."  
  
"I'm right here," Potter said, suddenly scratching at the chamber door. He was now dressed in skin tight black clothing, looking quite sleek. "I'm right here, so let's play."  
  
Draco felt himself go flush at the sight of soft black silk clinging rather invitingly on those trim arms and thighs. _Thank Merlin it's just a dream_, Draco thought to himself.  
  
"Come on, Draco! Let's go!"  
  
Draco realized then that his dreamself had been caught staring. How embarrassing!  
  
"I'm not going anywhere with you, Potter..." Draco found himself growling.  
  
"Look, I don't care. I'll drag you there eventually. You need to help me, Malfoy. I know you won't understand a thing unless I show you, but damnit, Malfoy! I will have you help me!"  
  
Draco gave an impatient stomp. "What the hell do you want me to do here? Give me some sign, would you!"  
  
Holding up his hands, there was a glass ball resting in Potter's palms. And inside it was a panther, just like Viridis...  
  
"Potter..."  
  
"You have to come with me..."

****

Draco woke up, disoriented and confused. He jumped at the sight of green eyes shining in the dark, panting and grabbing at his chest. Sighing in relief when he realized it was only his Viridis, he laid back heavily on his pillows.  
  
What the hell did Potter want with him? And why did he bring his precious pet into this? And just were did the prat think Draco was going to follow him to? And how? If Draco followed Potter in his dream, that would certainly get him somewhere, wouldn't it? But Potter never took him anywhere.  
  
And yet... Potter kept asking Draco to come with him...  
  
Draco's thoughts were interrupted as he felt the weight shift on his bed, the panther leaping off. The scratch at the door told him that Viridis wanted out and the Slytherin rose from his bed to comply. As Draco went to the door to open it, something in his mind made him stop.  
  
He moved to his wardrobe then, dressing quickly. He would go with the black cat. He would walk through the halls, fulfil his prefect duties, though late it was even for that. Something was urging him to go right now. Something was putting him in motion. What was it exactly, he would never know, but he just knew...  
  
"I'll walk with you tonight," he whispered as he led the beast through the Slytherin House and out into the corridors. "Tonight will be ours. Since it's Friday, I'll sleep in come morning. I just hope you don't get me in trouble..."  
  
Viridis seemed excited by having his master join him. He pranced about playfully, like a large kitten. He tugged at Draco's robes to have the boy run with him. He would flop over right in the hallway to have his belly rubbed. He would scamper back and forth, then brush his heavy body up against Draco's legs. The creature was pleased, and if its actions towards Draco did not show it, its eagerly swishing tail did.  
  
They played and raced, dashing about the corridors and up and down moving stairwells. Only when Draco realized he was in uncharted territory did he stop. Nothing was familiar, and he was not even sure of the right way back. And in the hallway before him...  
  
The torches stopped lining the walls, and everything fell to darkness.  
  
"Viridis... Where have you taken me...?" he asked the creature, its eye sparkling a deep green in the last of the torch light. It moved forward into the darkening hall, not waiting for Draco. It was as if the panther knew Draco would follow.  
  
Biting his bottom lip and trying to keep his pride in check... Draco stepped forward. The only sound was his breathing and the echoing sound of his boots on the stone floor. He reached out with blind hands to feel for soft fur or a switching tail as he walked, but felt nothing but the evading darkness between his fingers.  
  
_This was madness_, his mind gibbered at him. _What in Merlin's name have I got myself into now?_  
  
No answer was forth coming as he continued on, hoping to find some sort of light ahead.  
  
**_ to be continued _**


End file.
